OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE AND COPD: A DANISH POPULATION-BASED STUDY

Else Toft Würtz

Publikation: Ph.d.-afhandling

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Abstract

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common disease. The main risk factor is smoking although 15% of the COPD cases are expected to be preventable if the occupational exposures from vapour, gas, dust, and fume were eliminated; the population attributable fraction (PAF).

The thesis addresses the association between occupational exposure and COPD in a population-based cohort of Danes aged 45-84-years.

4717 participants were included at baseline and 2624 at the four year follow-up. COPD was defined by spirometry and the occupational exposure was based on specialist defined jobs and questionnaires. The main occupational exposure was organic dust and 49% reported no lifetime occupational exposure.

The results suggest occupational exposures to be associated to COPD also in never smokers and women. We found an exposure-response relation in the cross sectional analyses. The results are in accordance with other international studies. The estimated PAFs were high among never smokers, while no comparable PAF previously have been established among women. The analyses indicate an association between occupational exposure and incident COPD.

Recognising that exposures from work over time might have an impact on the development of COPD ought to be transformed to preventive efforts to eliminate occupational COPD and improve public health.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
Udgiver
ISBN'er, elektronisk978-87-7112-209-1
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2015

Bibliografisk note

Øyvind Omland, Hovedvejleder
Vivi Schlünssen, Bivejleder
Tine Halsen Malling, Bivejleder
Jens Georg Hansen, Bivejleder
Charlotte Brasch-Andersen, Bivejleder

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